The Redemption Project

Brandon Burley
  • 5.0 (2)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • UPDATED DAILY

The Redemption Project tells real stories of change, accountability, and second chances. Hosted by Brandon Burley—a retired law enforcement detective, criminal justice educator, and journalist—this podcast features conversations with men and women who have lived on both sides of the justice system, along with the ministries, programs, and people helping them rebuild their lives. Each episode explores what redemption actually looks like after prison: recovery, faith, responsibility, failure, growth, and the long road back to trust and purpose. Some stories are quiet. Some are uncomfortable.

  1. 3D AGO

    Redemption Story: Michael King

    From Maximum Security to Redemption. Michael Charles King was convicted of murder in 1992 and sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. He spent years in maximum security, planned an escape for over a year—and was caught the same day.But that’s not where his story ends.In this full conversation, Michael talks honestly about what prison couldn’t fix, what finally changed him, and how love, accountability, and structure reshaped his life after release.Paroled in 2023. Nearly lost everything again. Didn’t quit. Today, he works with Men of Valor Knoxville and mentors other men rebuilding their lives from the inside out.This isn’t a story about excusing the past.It’s about what real redemption looks like when it’s lived daily.

    7 min
  2. What a Tennessee Pardon Really Means — and What It Doesn’t

    6D AGO

    What a Tennessee Pardon Really Means — and What It Doesn’t

    In this episode, Brandon Burley breaks down one of the most misunderstood parts of criminal justice: pardons. Following Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s recent decision to grant clemency to 33 individuals—including a high-profile recipient—public conversation quickly blurred the line between forgiveness, expungement, and erasure of a criminal record. This episode explains, in plain terms, what a pardon actually does under Tennessee law—and just as importantly, what it does not do. Brandon walks through how pardons affect employment, housing, professional licensing, travel, and public records, why pardons are not shortcuts through the legal system, and how they fit into the much longer and often misunderstood process of expungement. He also explains why pardons remain rare, discretionary, and the result of extensive review—not public pressure or celebrity status. To ground the discussion, Brandon references a firsthand interview with Clark Shepherd, one of the individuals granted clemency, and outlines the years-long process behind that decision. This episode is part of The Redemption Project’s narrated journalism series—focused on clarity, context, and facts beyond headlines

    3 min

  3. FEB 1

    “I Was Looking at 28 Years”: Matt Holder on Addiction, Prison, and the Long Road Back

    Matt Holder’s story isn’t about a single bad decision — it’s about how addiction slowly dismantles a life, one rationalization at a time. Growing up in East Tennessee, Matt came from a stable family, earned a degree in criminal justice, and built a career. But prescription opioids changed everything. What started as pain management turned into years of addiction, felony charges, repeated incarceration, probation violations, and the constant weight of consequences he couldn’t outrun. At his lowest point, Matt was facing a potential 28-year sentence and believed there was no way out. What followed was not a miracle moment — it was structure, accountability, brutal honesty, and people willing to walk with him without excusing his behavior. In this conversation, Matt walks through: How addiction escalates quietly and relentlessly Why “white-knuckling” recovery fails The role jail, probation, and treatment really played in his transformation What accountability looks like when grace doesn’t erase consequences How redemption is built over years, not moments Today, Matt works in recovery and ministry, advocates for people reentering society, and lives a life that looks nothing like the one that nearly ended him. This is a long-form conversation for anyone who wants to understand what real change actually takes, both inside the justice system and beyond it.

    1h 13m

  4. TRAILER

    The life he had been living wasn’t working, and no one was coming to rescue him from it.

    Here we preview Kevins story, and it was an interesting one to hear!

    18 sec
  5. Why Chattanooga’s New Reentry Program Matters for Public Safety

    JAN 29

    Why Chattanooga’s New Reentry Program Matters for Public Safety

    n this Season 4 episode of The Redemption Project, Brandon Burley narrates and comments on a letter to the editor he wrote for the Chattanooga Times Free Press about a reentry support program coming to the city—one with a documented record of reducing recidivism. Drawing from firsthand experience in law enforcement and direct visits to Men of Valor campuses in Tennessee, Brandon explains why structured reentry matters for public safety. He breaks down how housing, employment, accountability, and decompression after incarceration intersect—and why the absence of those supports often sends people right back into the system. While this episode focuses on Chattanooga, the broader issue applies nationwide: when people leave jail or prison without stability, the conditions for reoffending quietly rebuild themselves. Season 4 of The Redemption Project features narrated journalism, letters, and reported commentary examining criminal justice, reentry, and public safety beyond headlines.

    3 min

  6. JAN 25

    No One Was Coming to Rescue Me — Kevin

    Kevin’s story isn’t built on a single dramatic turning point. It’s built on decisions. In this short-form episode, Kevin talks about how small choices stacked up over time and eventually led him to prison. Inside, the noise faded—and what remained was the truth he couldn’t avoid anymore: the life he had been living wasn’t working, and no one was coming to rescue him from it. Kevin shares what it was like to encounter Men of Valor, a program that demanded accountability, discipline, and humility. There were no shortcuts—only the daily choice to take responsibility and keep going. This episode of The Redemption Project is about quiet change, honest work, and rebuilding life one decision at a time.

    6 min
  7. Public Safety Isn’t Just Policing — It’s Second Chance Hiring

    JAN 22

    Public Safety Isn’t Just Policing — It’s Second Chance Hiring

    In this narrated episode, Brandon Burley reads and reflects on an opinion piece originally published in The Daily Memphian examining why second chance hiring is a public safety issue—not just an employment one. While the article focuses on Memphis, the argument applies far beyond one city. When people return from prison or jail without access to work, housing, transportation, or licensing pathways, the conditions for reoffending are quietly rebuilt. Public safety doesn’t improve by closing more doors. It improves by opening the right ones back. This episode explores how background checks, licensing barriers, housing scarcity, and transportation gaps intersect—and why responsibility for change doesn’t rest solely with government, but with employers, communities, and citizens willing to step in. Season 4 of The Redemption Project features narrated journalism and reported essays on criminal justice, reentry, and public safety.

    3 min
  8. The Pardon Didn’t Change Me — Clark

    JAN 18

    The Pardon Didn’t Change Me — Clark

    Clark doesn’t begin his story with a testimony. He starts with the record. Manufacturing methamphetamine. Identity theft. Criminal simulation. Unauthorized use. A list of charges that once defined his life. Addiction drove the collapse—relationships failed, trust disappeared, and prison became the inevitable outcome. In this long-form conversation, Clark talks about what actually changed him while incarcerated: structure, accountability, faith lived out daily, and people who refused to let him drift. Redemption didn’t arrive as relief. It arrived as responsibility. Years later, Clark was granted a pardon by Governor Bill Lee. The paperwork made headlines—but it didn’t create the change. It recognized it. This episode of The Redemption Project is about confronting the past honestly, rebuilding consistently, and the people who walk with you long before the world notices. 🎧 New episodes release weekly.

    43 min
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Trailers

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About

The Redemption Project tells real stories of change, accountability, and second chances. Hosted by Brandon Burley—a retired law enforcement detective, criminal justice educator, and journalist—this podcast features conversations with men and women who have lived on both sides of the justice system, along with the ministries, programs, and people helping them rebuild their lives. Each episode explores what redemption actually looks like after prison: recovery, faith, responsibility, failure, growth, and the long road back to trust and purpose. Some stories are quiet. Some are uncomfortable.

Information

  • Creator
    Brandon Burley
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Brandon Burley
  • Show Website
    The Redemption Project